Screw-driver



J. S. 'FRAY- SGREW vDRIVER.

(No Modl.)

NO. 336.560- Patented Feb. 23, 1886.

i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. FRAY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNEOTIOUT.

'scREw-DRIVER.

SIPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 336,560, dated February 23, 1886.

Application filed November 7, 1885. Serial No. 132,081. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. FRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improveinents in Tool-Handles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

' My inventon has for its object .to produce a tool-handle in which the ratchet principle shall be utilized in such a manner that an ordinary wood-screw maybe turned in by oscillation of the,l handle without 'removing the screw-driver from the cut in the head of the screw, and Without removing the hand from the handle during the entire operation, it being an essential lrequirement in devices of this class that they shall be simple and economical in construction, consist of few parts, be dura- `ble, and practically impossible to get out of repair.

With these ends in view I have devised the simple and novel construction, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to a screw-driver only, that being amply sufficient to illustrate the principle thereof, although it should be understood that my improved handle is equally adapted for use in connection with all kinds of tools in which a Iotary motion-of the 'tool is required.

In the drawngs, Figure l is an elevation of the device complete, the sleeve being shown in section 5 Fig. 2, a longitudinal section, the handle being shown as turned a quarter around from the position shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, an elevation with the sleeve in section, corresponding With Fig. 1, except that the other 'side of the handle is toward the front and that the screW-driver is made integral With the shank; F ig. 4, a section of the sleeve, the portion shown being the same as in Fig. 1-- that is, as if the sleeve were left and the balance of the handle removed; Fig. 5, a similar section of the sleeve, the half shown being opposite to that shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6, a cross-section on the line x w in Fig. 2, and

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pawls or dogs G. The upper ends of these pawls are beveled, as shown at G', and each pawl is provided with an outwardly-projecting pin, G'l. Below the pawls and lying in the sockets or recesses are Springs H, the action of which is ``to force the pawls upward into engagement with the ratchet. The pawls are so placed in thesockets that both inclines face in'one direction and the straight sides in the opposite direction.

K is a loose sleeve which surrounds the up per end of the ferrule, and is provided upon its inner side with recesses orgrooves L, which are engaged by pins G' on the pawls. Each of these recesses is made sufficiently wide at one end to permit free movement of the pin as the pawl slides up and down, the top of the wide portion being straight, as at L3, and each is provided with an incline, L', and at the smaller end of the recess with a pocket, Lz, into which the pin drops, whereby the sleeve is held against accidental rotation. The outer end of the shank is provided with jaws M, formed by a slot, M', which extends in ward a short distance from the end, and with an external screw-thread, N.

O represents the screw-driver itself, which is preferably a fiat piece of steel sharpe-ned slightly at the outer end, and which is adapted to slide into slot M' in the end of the shank, where it is securely locked by turning a threaded sleeve, P, down upon the screwthread, which acts to close the jaws against the screw-driver. It will of course be undermade full size.

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screw-driver may be made integral with the shank, as shown in Fig. 3. The lower end of the shank extends part way through the handle, in which it fits closely, and terminates at a cavity or receptacle, A', at the lower end of the handle, in which screw-drivers and other tools may be carried. The lower end of the shank is held in place by a screw, Q, which passes through a washer, Q', and engages the end of the shank, which is of course left free to turn.

Oavity A' is closed at the base of the handle by a threaded cover, A2, engaging the Wood of the'handle,"or in any other suitable manner.

The operation is as follows: In assembling, pins G2 upon the sliding pawls are placed in engagement with recesses L in the sleeve. The relation of these slots relatively to each other and to the pins upon the sliding pawls is clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5, Fig. 4 representing the back half of the sleeve, and Fig. 5 the front half reversed-that is to say, the pin G2, which shows upon the sliding pawl in Fig. 1, is the same pin that appears in section in Fig. 5;likewise, the pin that shows upon the slidi'ng pawl in Fig. 3 is the same pin that appears insection in Fig. 4., Figs. 1 and 5 showing the position of the sliding pawl or dog and its pin that is in operativepositiomand Figs. 3 and 4showing the position ofthe sliding pawl and pin that are held out of operative position. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, one end of each recess in the inside of the sleeve is sufficiently Wide to perniit the necessary Vertical movement of the pin upon theoperating-pawl, and, as also indicated in these ligures, the position of recesses L relatively to each other and to the pins upon the pawls is such that When the sleeve is turned to either of its extreme positions one pawl is in its operative and the' other in its inoperative position. In turning in an ordinary wood-screw it is of course necessary that the straight side of the operating-pawl should come in contact with one of the ratchet-teeth when the handle is turned Vfrom left to right, and thatl when the reversed movement is made the incline upon the operative pawl will come in contact with the ratchet-teeth and slide over them. This is the position of the parts shown in the drawings, the sleeve being turned to its extreme position toward the left. To `reverse the action of the device-that is, to throw the operating-pawl out of operative position and the inoperative pawl into operative position, as would be required in turning out a wood-screw-it is simply necessary to turn the sleeve to its extreme position toward the right. Supposing this to have been done, the pin in Fig. 4 would be at the wide end of the slot and the pin in Fig. 5 would be engaged in the pocket, the pawl ordog in Fig. 1 would be held down out of operative position and the pa'wl or dog in Fig. 3 would be in operative position, the reverse of their present positions. The engagement of one of the pins' with the pocket L2 in the interior of the sleeve holds the sleeve against accidental rotation-that is to say,sufficient power has to be applied in turning the sleeve to overcome the power of one of the Springs H. Wliether the sleeve shall be turned toward the right orleft to place the parts in position for turning in a wood -screw is simply dependent upon the placing of the pawls. In the act of assembling, by simply reversing them, so that the bevels at the ends of the pawls will face in the opposite direction, a screw may be turned in when the sleeve is turned toward the right, and turned out when the sleeve is turned toward the left.

Should it be desired to use the tool as an ordinary screw driver-that is, without the ratchet-the sleeve is turned to a position' about midway between its two extreme positions. This will leave both pins upon the straight portions La of recesses L at about the beginning of the inclines. VVhen the sleeve is in this position, both pawls are thrown out into operative position, and the straight sides of both pawls, acting in opposite directions, will consequently be in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet, so that the shank is firmly locked, and when the handle is turned in either direction the shank and the tool must go with it.

It will of course be understood that the de- Vtails of construction may be varied within reasonable limits without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim;

1. In a tool-handle, the shank and head hav-V ing ratchet-teeth upon its under side, in combination with spring-actuated s'liding pawls, adapted to engage the ratchet and having pins G2, and a sleeve having recesses upon its inner side with which said pins engage, said recesses being wide at one end and having a straight portion, incline, and a pocket at the opposite end, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The shank and head having triangular straight-sided ratchet-teeth upon its under side and spring-actuated sliding pawls having beveled ends and 'outwardly-projecting pins, in combination with a sleeve having internal recesses Widest at one endand provided with inclines L' and pockets L2, whereby one of the beveled pawls is permitted to engage the ratchet, as described, and the other is held out cf engagement.

3. The shank and head having straight' sided ratchet-teeth upon its under side and springactuated sliding pawls having outwardly-proj ecting pins, in combination with a sleeve having internal recesses widest at one end, and having straight portions L,'inclines L', and pockets L2, whereby one pawl may be held out of engagement to make a ratchet-tool, or both may be thrown into engagement to lock the ratchet.

4. The body of the. handle and the ferrule having recesses F, springs H, and the pawls having bevels G', and pins G2, located in said.

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recesses, in combination with arotating shank, a head thereon having straight teeth upon its under side, and a sleeve provided with recesses L, widest at one end and having inclines L' and pockets L2, adapted to be engaged by pins G2, whereby one of the pawls is permitted to engage the ratchet and the other held out of engagement therewith.

5. In a tool-handle, a rotating shank one end of which carries a tool and the other extends into the body of the handle and is held there by suitable means, as a screw and Washer, and a head upon said shank having straight-sided ratchet-teeth upon its under side, in combination with spring-actuated sliding pawls straight upon one side and beveled at the end upon the other, pins upon said pawls, and a sleeve provided withinternal recesses Widest at one end and having inciines and pockets, wheieby one pin is left free and the other held out of engagement with the ratchet.

6. The rotatingshank or tool-carrier, means, as a screw and washer, for holding it in the handle, and a head upon said tool-carrier having rat-chet-teeth upon its under side7 in combination With spring-actuated beveled sliding pawls having pins G2, and a sleeve having rei JOHN S. FRAY.

VVitnesses:

A. M. WoosTER, C. E. RUGGLEs. 

